Solid State Lighting is the third revolution in illumination, after the invention of fire and electricity-based lighting. The existing approaches to managing lighting are all enhancements to the second wave, electrically-based lighting, where typically each light fixture, sensor and human interface device is independently powered at building voltage levels, occasionally at low voltage. State of the art Light Management Systems (LMS) allow centralized management of single lights or groups of lights through software, with hardware controls typically located at each sensor or switch used to control light levels directly, or through the LMS.
The emergence of low-power, high intensity LEDs, semi-conductors, for general illumination, combined with IP networking paradigms, makes practical a novel Lighting Management System to achieve granular control of lighting and thereby realize substantial energy savings. This same Management System, which consists of control elements installed in building plenums or above ceilings, can be used to simultaneously control and power a variety of systems, sensors and devices, including those used for light sensing, day lighting and screening control, HVAC, security, emergency, surveillance, building access and building and environmental control. This list of sensors and devices is for illustrative purposes and not meant to be exhaustive. We refer to this combined system as a Building Control System, or BCS.